Andrew Luck is a fantasy football gem. Entering his fourth year at the Colts starting quarterback, he's never missed a game. His career average of 21 fantasy points per game was blown away last year by his 27.5 average, leading all NFL quarterbacks by at least two full points.
Often, those points can come in droves -- and it did just that in the 2013 playoffs, when Luck led the Colts to the second-largest comeback in NFL playoff history. Down 28 points in the second half, Luck was unstoppable as he passed, ran and dove for touchdowns in a 45-44 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
That result seemed improbably early in the third quarter, when the Chiefs scored a touchdown to push the lead to 38-10. Luck and his teammates had struggled to get anything going, while the defense has imploded against an explosive Chiefs offense.
But even as the Chiefs built their lead, glimmers of hope began to shine for the Colts. Kansas City lost star running back Jamaal Charles to a concussion on the opening possession, and in the second half it lost receiver Donnie Avery and cornerback Brandon Flowers for the same reason.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs offense started to stall -- and Luck greased the wheels for the Indianapolis offense. Needing to throw to get back in the game, the Colts dropped back Luck and let him go wild. He led an 80-yard drive in under two minutes that cut the lead to 21.
On the next drive, Luck hit Donald Brown with a three-yard pass, cutting the lead to 38-24 while still in the third quarter. After a Kansas City field goal, he hit a 12-yard pass to trim the lead to 10
Perhaps poetically, Luck scored a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter off of a Brown fumble at the five-yard line. His fourth and final touchdown pass gave the Colts a 45-44 lead, one they would protect for the win.
Luck still ended the game with three interceptions, and his first half was one of his worst stretches as an NFL quarterback. But with 443 yards, four passing touchdowns and a rushing TD to boot -- all of them leading to a historic win -- no one's complaining that he got off to a slow start.
Perhaps Colts coach Chuck Pagano summed up the game best: "One for the ages."
